Marlon Brando, who died Friday at age 80, got his start in a pro-Zionist fund-raising play but later charged that Hollywood was “run by Jews.” The young Brando starred in 1946 in “A Flag is Born,” a Ben Hecht play that raised $400,000 for Jewish settlement in Palestine. His character, David, memorably excoriated audiences: “Where were you — Jews . . .when the killing was going on? When the six million were burned and buried alive in lime, where were you? Where was your voice crying out against the slaughter?” In later years Brando blamed Jews for negative portrayals of blacks and American Indians in movies, though he acknowledged that the same moviemakers often portrayed Jews in a negative light as well. He later apologized for telling Larry King that Hollywood was “run by Jews.”

Dan Glickman, a Jewish former congressman and secretary of agriculture, will oversee a powerful Hollywood lobbying group. Glickman was named Thursday as chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America, replacing Jack Valenti, who held the position for more than 38 years. Before serving in President Clinton’s Cabinet, Glickman represented Kansas in the U.S. Congress from 1977-1995. The father of a movie producer, he lobbied for the Walt Disney Co. after leaving governmental service. He is a contributor and supporter of the National Jewish Democratic Council.